Untamed Heart
by BlueRenamon
Summary: Renamon is lonely for the company of another... but what happens when that other person is a human? A continuation of the original Untamed Heart by MindlesslyDevoted
1. Chapter 1

"Untamed Heart" 

This is a story I read a long time ago, which was never finished by its original author – magickmistressimpmon

When I discovered they weren't going to complete it, I contacted said author, requesting permission to finish it for them.

That was several years ago. Now, here I am, and I intend to finish what was shaping up to be a classic Renamon romance.

So, here it is.

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A soft, spring wind swept through the treetops. birds twittered as if they were raising the sun itself. It started like any other day, nothing was out of the ordinary. The wind eventually reached the sole occupant of the tall treetop, ruffling the snow-white ruff around her neck. One white-tipped ear twitched alertly, catching every sound. Sky-blue eyes gazed out over the city, watching the people emerge from their homes and begin their day. Her sun-yellow coat shone in the morning glow, bathing her with a golden light.

"I think I'll go out exploring today." She said to herself. "I need to define my boundaries."

The sliding door glided open below her, and the red-haired girl stepped out, still in her striped pyjamas.

"Good morning, Rika." She greeted the girl, her tamer.

"'Morning Renamon, how long have you been up?"

"Not very long." She replied, easily leaping to the ground. "I'm thinking of going out today. Is that alright with you?"

Rika smiled. "I'll only call you if I need you- and even then only in an emergency."

"Thank you, Rika. I will see you later then." The slender fox digimon vanished from view.

The girl smiled to herself, and went back inside to get herself ready for the day.

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The cooling wind whipped Renamon's long silky tail out behind her like a flag.

"A perfect day for this." She sighed, jumping to the next peaked roof. She paused, for a moment, just letting the cool, sweet springtime air seep into her.

"Renamon!" A loud, overjoyed voice called out to her. She turned just before a small purple and white blur attached itself to her leg. "I'm SO glad to see you! I need somebody to play with!"

"Calumon..." She said, gently. "I don't have time to play today-"

"-You're busy? Where you going?"

"-Well-"

"-Can i come?"

She paused, debating on the right thing to say, without making the situation worse.

"Listen, I think I heard Impmon asking for someone to play with earlier... Why don't you go visit him...?"

The little one paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Sounds fun! Plus, he sounds all funny and makes weird faces when he'd mad!"

She laughed. He wasn't her favourite guy in the world, but there were much worse monsters then the little purple demon.

I just hope he's in a semi-decent mood... or else he might give Calumon a battering...

"Bye-bye! I'll come see you later, kay?" The petit digimon fluffed out his ears and took flight.

She couldn't help but smile.

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"Hitori!!!"

The dark haired boy jolted awake.

"Hitori! You are going to be late for school if you don't get going!"

"Yeah!" He yelled back, tossing back the covers. He blinked the sleep out of his deep brown eyes, and got himself to his feet.

I've been sleeping in a lot lately... he thought to himself, It's not a good habit to get into, considering I need to get up early every day anyway... 

Hitori was a runner, very lean and athletic, so he got to school early every day so he could practice. He was good natured, had a lot of friends, but sometimes became quiet and withdrawn. No one really knew why, but sometimes he became this way without warning.

He hurriedly combed his unruly, spiky locks (they stuck out in every direction anyways) and grabbed his black book-bag.

"G' morning mom" He mumbled through clenched teeth

"Hitori finally awakes!" His father chuckled, going back to the paper.

He snorted, and jammed a heavily-buttered piece of toast in his mouth. "Ha Ha real funny." He said around his mouthful.

"Your hair looks awful, I hope you know..."

"Shut up! You're to talk!"

His older sister laughed. "Have fun at school, booger-butt!"

Hitori snorted in annoyance, and dashed out the door.

God, I wish someone understood me... he thought.

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A bird twittered somewhere nearby. Renamon's long legs dangled over the sturdy tree branch, as she watched a bunch of children go off to school. They were all so happy, smiling and giggling with their friends. And in some cases, their boyfriend or girlfriend.

"Humans seem to be happy together like this..." She mumbled aloud to herself. "How strange... It's almost like they need to be near each other all the time- judging by the way they cling to one another..."

"Whatchya lookin' at?"

"Hm?" She spun around quickly.

"Hiya!" The long- eared digimon chirped.

"Terriermon...?" She blinked, feeling her cheeks redden. He didn't see me watching those humans, and say all of that, did he?! God, I hope not... She thought.

"You lookin' for someone?"

"No, not really... Just enjoying the morning."

"Nice, huh?"

"Yes..."

The two fell silent for a moment, the only sound being that of the humans walking and chattering beneath them.

"So um... you doing anything today? Going anywhere- with- any- one...?" His voice trailed off slightly.

Renamon blinked. What exactly is he leading up to...? She wondered. C-could it be...?

A loud cracking sound came from below. The branch she was perched on promptly snapped off, and the ground rushed up to meet her as she fell ten feet. Her impact with the concrete was broken, however, by a lone boy.

"OW! Geeze..." He muttered a few choice swear words. "What was that for...?"

Renamon could barely breathe. A human; he was going to see her for sure!

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	2. Chapter 2

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Hitori found himself pinned, face first, to the floor. Something heavy had fallen out of the tree above him, and boy did it hurt.

Renamon found herself almost reclining on the pavement, having landed in a sitting position on the young boy. Her legs were sprawled over him, holding him fast.

-No way I can get out of this one!- she thought to herself, frozen in place.

Hitori rolled over to see what had knocked him down, expecting to find a branch or something that had fallen from the tree. He reached around with his hand as he turned, grabbing hold of the thing that had him pinned. To his surprise, it didn't feel like bark. It was soft and furry.

"What the…?"

Renamon's eyes went wide. She managed to bring her self to move, springing to her feet.

Hitori was surprised to find himself able to move. He rolled into a sitting position just in time to see a yellow blur vanish into the tree above him.

-What was that?-

He rose to his feet, dusting himself off. He looked up into the tree, and saw a shadow up in the higher branches.

"Ok, I know that wasn't a branch that knocked me over!" he called up, "Who's up there?"

Renamon felt herself breathing heavily, her mind racing to find a way out of this predicament. Unfortunately, none of the branches were strong enough for her to get a good leap off. She could phase, but she'd still face a big drop to the floor.

So she remained silent.

"Right." Hitori pulled up his sleeves, grabbing on to the trunk of the tree.

Renamon watched as the human quickly scaled the lower reaches of the tree. She took to hiding behind the trunk, hoping he'd somehow miss her. He didn't, soon reaching the level she was on and perching himself on a branch.

"I know you're there." He said to the trunk, "So come on out."

Renamon, hardly the panicking type, just couldn't see a way out of this situation.

"I can stay here all day…" Hitori threatened.

"So can I." Renamon replied, quietly.

Hitori heard what she said, realising it was a girl he was addressing.

-wow, floored by a girl falling from a tree…- he smirked, "Fine."

Renamon cursed herself, realising he now knew there was definitely someone there. She watched as he reclined against the tree trunk, placing his hands behind his head. He started to whistle.

-He's only a human,- Renamon pondered, -I could easily dash past him. But he'd still see me.-

And she had no other alternative.

She sighed, "Ok, I'm coming out."

"Good." Hitori sat back upright, "And you can tell me why you…"

He fell silent as Renamon rounded the trunk, his eyes going wide in shock. Standing before him, arms crossed, was an almost six foot, yellow and white bipedal fox. Hitori blinked, rubbed his eyes, then blinked some more.

"I… er, you… what…?" he stuttered.

Renamon took the opportunity to sit on an opposing branch. She looked at him with interest.

Hitori couldn't summon up any more words. What was this strange… creature in front of him? He'd never seen anything like it before, and it definitely wan't human.

Renamon decided to break the silence, "I'm sorry for falling on you. The branch I was on snapped."

"um…" Hitori tried to get his mouth to work, "It's ok… I guess."

Silence fell again, thick and awkward. This time it was Hitori who broke it.

"Are you an alien?" he asked.

"An alien?" Renamon puzzled.

"You know, from outer-space?"

"I know what an alien is."

Hitori got the impression he'd insulted her somehow, "I'm sorry. It's just you're clearly not human."

"I'm a Digimon." Renamon informed him, "My name is Renamon."

-A digimon? I'm sure I've heard that word before…- Hitori thought for a moment.

Renamon, on the other hand, was surprised he hadn't run away at the sight of her. She expected that not everyone would take the sight of a six foot fox quite as well as this boy had.

"Are you ok?" she heard him ask.

"Excuse me?" Renamon was confused.

"I asked if you're ok." Hitori repeated, "That was quite a fall."

Renamon blushed, looking away. She embarrassed that she'd fallen at all. She was normally more graceful than that.

"Yes, I'm fine." She said quietly.

Hitori chuckled, "Are you blushing?"

This only served to intensify the redness in her cheeks, and she felt a growing urge to flee. She'd never felt embarrassment like this before, and it was only made worse by the fact that she knew she had no real reason to be embarrassed in front of a stranger.

Hitori could see her discomfort, so he decided to change the subject. He looked down at his watch, thinking for a moment. Only then did he realise how late it was.

"Oh crap!" he jumped to his feet, "I'm late for school!"

Renamon looked at him again as he started to climb down the trunk.

"I'll need a friggin miracle to get there in time!"

Renamon thought for a moment, "Um… I can help there."

Hitori stopped in his tracks, his head level with her feet, "You can?"

She nodded silently.

He climbed back up to her level, the pair now standing on the same branch.

"How?" he asked suspiciously.

Renamon held out her paw, "Take my hand."

Reluctantly, questioningly, he extended his hand. He placed it in hers, noting how soft the white fur was, even on her three digits. A tingle ran down his spine.

Before he could say anything, Renamon leapt from the tree, pulling him with her. When they landed on the ground, some ten feet below, Hitori was surprised he landed on his feet.

Less than a moment later, Renamon phased out, taking the young boy with her.

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Please, r&r the story so far. This is the first chapter that is entirely my own in this story. I am interested in your input.

And don't forget to r&r my other stories.

Thanks,

BlueRenamon


	3. Chapter 3

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Renamon and Hitori reappeared outside the gates to the school grounds. Hitori's eyes were wide with surprise.

The squat, ugly brown brick building that was the school's main building stood barely ten metres away, inside the fenced of playingfield.

"What the hell was that?!" he exclaimed, then added as an afterthought –Did I just pass _through _a wall?-

Renamon looked at him, her eyebrow raised, puzzled, "We teleported here."

It was only then that the pair realised they were still holding hands. They looked at eachother, blushed, then looked away, letting their hands separate. Renamon mentally scolded herself. She never, ever blushed. But since meeting this boy, she had felt more embarrassment at her own actions than she had at any other point in her life.

"Um…" Hitori broke the awkward silence before it could fully take hold, "Thank you, I guess."

-You guess?- he mentally shouted at himself, -She just did you a huge favour! Be a little more gracious!-

Renamon bowed her head slightly, accepting his thanks, "It was no problem."

This time, a deafening silence did take hold of the pair. The sound of the birds in the trees around the edge of the playground was the only thing that broke it.

Renamon studied the boy carefully, trying to size him up, maybe figure out what he was thinking. But she stopped when his eyes met hers.

-Say something!- her mind bellowed at her, -Just speak! Anything to break the silence!-

-Come on, Hitori…- he thought at the same time, -talk to her.-

"I, um… I better get to class." He said, then mentally slapped himself, -brilliant, just brilliant. Is that the best you can do?-

"Yes." Was Renamon's flat reply.

The silence returned.

"I'll be going, then…" but Hitori didn't, couldn't, move. He just couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Ok…"

-This is getting awkward…- He thought to himself. An idea suddenly popped into his head, "Um, Renamon?" he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to meet up again? Maybe go for an ice-cream or something?" –Good going, Casanova. Why not just ask her out on a date?! Hell, why not jump straight ahead to getting married! You just met her, she's not going to want to…-

"I'd like that." Renamon interrupted his thoughts.

She'd never had ice cream before. Desert wasn't really something she'd have. But it was a nice day out – the sky was blue and filled with small, white fluffy clouds. It was a perfect day to try something new.

That had taken him by surprise. He hadn't expected a practical stranger to accept his invitation so readily. "You… You would?" A smile wandered onto his face.

Renamon nodded slowly.

"Great!" Hitori beamed, "I'll see you later, then?"

Renamon bowed her head in reply.

"Great!"

He turned to enter the school grounds, but stopped as he realised something: he had no idea where or when to meet her. Hell, he didn't even know how to find her.

"Renamon?" he turned around, but she was already gone.

-Damn… How will I find her again?-

He sighed, then carried on towards the building.

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Renamon watched the human boy from a distance. She'd teleported away just before he'd turned back. She hadn't gone too far. Currently, she was perched on a low tree branch. She would be obscured from view by the large green leaves, but there was enough room between them for her to see out from her seat.

The sunlight trickled through the gaps between the leaves, dancing across her golden fur as a gentle breeze moved through the tree's branches, each beam leaving a short-lived feeling of warmth. Each leaf cast its shadow against her, which moved in time with the sway of the leaves.

It was quite a pleasant feeling. But Renamon's mind was elsewhere.

Her pulse was racing, and she felt a nervousness that she'd never experienced before.

"What are you playing at?!" she thought out loud, "This isn't you. You're never nervous around an Ultimate Digimon, so why a human? Why now?"

The only answer that came to her was the sound of the breeze, rustling through the leaves of the tree and her own fur.

Maybe the answers would reveal themselves?

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Hitori spent the rest of the day in an almost constant daydream, unable to concentrate for more than a few moments at a time. The golden vixen from the morning was playing on his mind, and he couldn't get her out, no matter how he tried. Not that he had actually tried that hard.

Not that he'd wanted to, either.

He'd even taken to doodling in his workbook, something he never, ever did. The entire margin was now filled to the brim with small pictures of Renamon.

He sighed deeply, still unable to clear his mind of her.

"Hitori?"

-What's wrong with you?- he asked himself, -You're never this distracted?-

"Hitori?!"

He continued to doodle absentmindedly, filling the rest of the page with Renamon, -I have to get her out of my mind!- But he knew how futile his efforts had been thus far. Something about her was keeping her image anchored firmly in his mind.

"HITORI!!"

He looked up from his doodling to see a very red faced teacher, and the entire class, looking his way.

"Um… y-yes?" he stuttered, wondering how he'd failed to recognise his own name. Of course, the answer was obvious.

"Have you paid attention to what I've been saying?" the teacher tapped his foot on the floor loudly, clearly annoyed at the boy's inadvertent ignorance.

"Um…" Hitori quickly glanced from the teacher to the whiteboard at the front of the room. There was some physics equation scrawled across it, but the teacher was hiding a large portion of it from view. All he could make out were some notes about 'force' and 'mass' being related.

"If you're too smart to participate with the rest of us," his teacher remarked, almost sarcastically, 'maybe you'd care to give us all the answer?"

The teacher held out the board marker to Hitori, a look on his face that said, in no uncertain terms, that the lesson wouldn't move on until Hitori came up with the answer.

Reluctantly, he accepted it. Rising from his seat, he stepped towards the board. He could see it in full now.

-An object of mass, five kilograms is accelerated at two metres per second squared. According to Newton's second law, what is the force that has been exerted on the object?-

A worried feeling rose up in the pit of his stomach. It was like any school-boy or girl's worst nightmare – finding yourself in a test that you've not revised for, unable to remember any of the lessons from the entire school term. And there was no way he could guess at this. The teacher was after a very specific answer.

"Ten Newtons…" he heard a quiet, feminine voice from just off to his right. He shot a puzzled look, but there was nobody there. Only the door to the classroom, which was closed. He silently wished he was on the other side of that door. Maybe he could make a run for it…

-I'm losing my marbles…- he thought, then turned back to the board.

"The force is ten Newtons." He heard again, this time more forcefully.

The voice sounded awfully familiar.

"Renamon?" he whispered, barely audible, as realisation struck, "Where are you?"

"I'm in the room."

Hitori turned to look, but all he could see was his class mates and the teacher, who was now sitting on Hitori's desk. They all eyed him, waiting for him to conjure up an answer.

"Having trouble, Hitori?" the teacher asked, a sly grin crossing his lips.

"No, Sir." The boy replied, turning back to the board. He raised the marker as if to write, but hesitated. He was stalling, trying to look as if he was working it out in his mind.

"You won't see me." Renamon replied in response to the boy's glance around the room.

Hitori thought it best not to ask, "Ok." He whispered again, hoping nobody but Renamon would hear him and think he was talking to himself, "So the answer is ten newtons?"

"Yes." Renamon replied from wherever she was hiding, "Force equals mass times acceleration. So that's ten kilogram-metres per second squared. Ten newtons."

Hitori started to write it down on the board, surprised Renamon had the answer, "How do you know about physics?"

No reply came, much to Hitori's disappointment.

With a soft sigh, he turned around and walked back to his desk, handing the pen back to his teacher as he rounded his desk to take his seat.

"Is that right?" he asked, despite having no doubt that it was.

The teacher looked over the board and begrudgingly nodded, "Yes. Perhaps you could explain to the class how you arrived at your answer?"

Hitori wasn't about to be caught out now, despite the best efforts of the cantankerous old git. He repeated what Renamon had said to him, word for word.

The teacher had no retort, utterly dumbfounded at Hitori's sudden and unexpected understanding of that particular aspect of Newtonian physics. Especially since that was the first lesson he'd given them on it.

Hitori just smirked as the teacher continued with the lesson. Renamon still played on his mind, but now he was careful to pay attention to what his teached was saying.

He definitely owed Renamon one now.

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Renamon had entered the classroom out of curiosity more than anything else. In an effort to explain her current state of mind, she'd arrived at the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, being near the boy would help her understand.

Straight away, she'd seen his doodles, and it only served to confuse her more. She was unsure why the boy, Hitori, would be drawing her.

Then the teacher had picked on the clearly distracted boy. Since it was obviously her that had caused the distraction, she felt compelled to help. And having taken a sneaky peek at the teacher's notes first, she had done just that, passing on the information to Hitori.

Now she just had to hang around until the day was over. Then maybe she could get some answers to the questions that were still running through her mind, not to mention some newly forming ones.

She couldn't help but wonder what they may be.

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End of chapter 3 - rewrite.

Well, typical of me, I just can't write a short story. So, this is progressing rather slowly.

Anyway, R&R, and give me your thoughts on the story.

Thanks for stopping by,

BlueRenamon


	4. Chapter 4

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It was half-three in the afternoon when the school kicked out. As usual, Hitori hung back for a few minutes, hoping to avoid the mad rush that always ensued the final bell. He had little tolerance for the pushing and shoving that would no doubt be taking place, all part of a desperate bid to escape school a few moments earlier.

-What's a few moments?- he thought to himself, leaning against a wall just outside his last period classroom.

Once the commotion had died down, the mad torrent of students now a mere trickle of one or two, he resettled his bag on his shoulder and headed towards the main entrance.

He pushed the heavy wood double doors aside, stepping out into the warm, mid-afternoon sunshine. The breeze had grown stronger, ushering the white clouds quickly across the bright skies.

Hitori closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of fresh air and smiling.

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Renamon half sat, half perched, on a strong lower branch of a tree a small way away from the school building. She'd spent most of the day there, camouflaged and well hidden by the thick canopy of leaves.

Her legs hung casually over the edge of the limb, counterbalancing her weight as she reclined ever so slightly. She'd watched the tide of school students as they'd left the grounds, carefully trying to spot Hitori. But he hadn't emerged.

The sound of heavy doors creaking open made her ears twitch, drawing her attention to the main entrance to the school. As she watched, the boy emerged. Her curiosity was piqued once more as she noticed him take in the air, closing his eyes and smiling.

-The simple pleasures…- she thought, then phased out.

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Opening his eyes again, Hitori felt fully refreshed. He was about to head off school property, when a voice suddenly took him by surprise.

"Is it time for ice cream?"

Hitori felt his heart leap into his throat. He took a few moments to calm himself down. Once his pulse had slowed enough to avoid a heart attack, he spoke.

"Renamon, is that you?"

The yellow vixen appeared before him, phasing in out of thin air. Hitori raised an eyebrow as he watched, -interesting little trick.- That was obviously the same technique she'd used earlier to help him get to school.

"Yes." Renamon nodded once she had fully realised.

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Renamon hung back in the shadows, watching Hitori as he approached the ice cream stand. The pair had walked to the park, careful to stay away from busy streets. It had meant that they had to take a large detour along several small alleyways, but they had got there easily enough.

The man serving Hitori handed him two cones. Hitori returned quickly to the line of trees in which Renamon had hidden. He was already licking one of them, stopping the ice cream from running down the cone and making his hands sticky. Unfortunately, the one in his other hand went untended, the vanilla liquid running down the back of his hand.

"Here," he carefully handed it to Renamon.

She was careful not to drop it. She used her rough, vulpine tongue to reduce the excess and mould the dessert so that it wouldn't drip any more. She'd never had ice cream before, and she was amazed at how sweet it tasted. And it was so cold it almost hurt her teeth.

Hitori smirked as he watched her eat it eagerly –Wow, she must like icecream.-

Renamon stopped her rapid consumption of the sweet dessert upon noticing Hitori was watching her.

"What?" she asked, curious as to why he was watching her.

He shrugged, taking a quick lick of his own cone, "You seem to be enjoying the ice cream."

Renamon looked down at the cone in her hand, now half empty, and noticed Hitori's still almost full one. She suddenly felt embarrassed by how greedy she must've looked.

"I've, um… Never had ice-cream before…" she trailed off. She felt the cold run of the ice cream as it continued to melt, trailing its way through the white fur on the back of her paw. She quickly licked it up to avoid getting sticky.

"Really?" Hitori was surprised, to say the least, "Not even vanilla?"

"Vanilla? As in the plant?" now she was confused. What would a plant have to do with this semi-fluidic desert?

Again, Hitori shrugged, "It's something they use to flavour ice cream. Vanilla is just a common flavour."

"Is this vanilla?" Renamon questioned, returning to eating her cone before it fully melted. It didn't take her long to polish it off. And, watching Hitori take a bite, she realised the cone itself was also edible. Not as nice as the ice cream, but it was still good.

Hitori chuckled, "No, that _was_ mint chocolate chip."

Again, Renamon felt embarrassed that she'd finished it off so quickly. Normally, she'd get defensive. But the emotions that usually followed in such a situation seemed to be incapable of rising to the surface.

"It was very nice." She finally said, "Thank you for the ice cream." – I may have to get some more from somewhere…- she added as an afterthought.

"From the way you ate it, I figured as much." Hitori finished his own cone off. He could feel Renamon's eyes studying him carefully, but she remained silent. The only noise was that of the breeze on the leaves, and the birds as they twittered in the trees.

There was also the sound of his shoes scuffling along in the leaf-litter as they walked. He had no idea where they were headed. Perhaps they were just walking, with nowhere in mind.

He soon came to realise that the tall, golden fox made no sound at all as she walked. He watched her feet as she took each step, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Was her delicate step a deliberate effort on her part, or just a result of the grace that seemed to permeate her entire body? He had come to notice, in quite a short period of time, that her every move was laced with delicate, elegant motion.

His scrutiny of her feet hadn't gone unnoticed. Renamon stopped in her tracks, eyeing the boy suspiciously, "What are you doing?"

Hitori stopped in his tracks, grinning sheepishly and running his hand through his hair, "I was, um, watching your feet…"

"My… feet?"

He noticed the confused, almost worried look that emerged on her features. She looked down at her feet, wiggling her large toes slightly.

-Oh boy… How do I get out of this one?- He could only hope she wasn't assuming he had a foot fettish. Weighing up the options, honesty seemed to be the best policy, "I noticed how silent your footsteps were compared to mine."

Her puzzlement was replaced by a look of intrigue.

"You seem very graceful." Hitori went on to add.

Renamon seemed somewhat pleased by the comment, judging from the change in her expression. She'd assumed that it was a compliment, as indeed Hitori had intended it to be, at least on some level.

"Thank you." She almost beamed.

The pair continued walking, following the woodland trail deeper into the trees.

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End of chapter 4

A thank you to Renaki, Lily's Courage and Dameningen for your reviews. Also, thank you to Kitaiko for the constructive criticism. It has already come in very useful.

Thanks again,

BlueRenamon


	5. Chapter 5

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The skies above the city were dark, filled with clouds that threatened rain. No evidence remained that the earlier day had been – even the warm breeze now had a bitter twist to it.

Renamon sat atop the roof of the Nonaka residence, oblivious to the worsening weather around her. Her mind was wandering, filled with thoughts of the boy she had met just that morning.

-Why does he keep playing through my mind?- she tried to fathom, with little success, -Every time I try to concentrate, there he is…-

"Renamon?" a gentle voice from the garden below drifted up to her, "Are you out here?"

Renamon's eyes followed the slope of the roof down to the ground, falling upon her Tamer, Rika, in the garden.

"I'm up here." Renamon replied.

Rika turned to see her friend. She hadn't seen Renamon all day, which was strange, even though the vulpine Digimon had warned her that she was going out. Rika had assumed Renamon had found something entertaining to do, since she'd been gone so long.

"How was your day?" Rika enquired.

Renamon was considering what to tell her. She could say she spent the day around the park and the school, which was technically true. But Rika was her best friend, and she knew she'd feel guilty if she wasn't fully honest.

"I was… with a friend." She answered, somewhat guardedly.

Rika raised an eyebrow, "A friend?" she was assuming Guilmon or Terriermon. But if either of those were correct then why hadn't Renamon referred to them by their names? Obviously, it was someone she herself didn't know.

"Anyone I know?" Rika pressed, already sure of the answer.

Renamon considered for a moment, "I'm not sure."

Now that did surprise Rika. And it was clear on her face. Renamon decided it was time to explain everything to her friend. She jumped down from the roof, landing softly beside her Tamer.

"Let's talk."

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Hitori lay on his bed, arms under his head, staring dreamily into space. Renamon was still invading his thoughts. Not that he minded much. She'd been a pleasure to be around, and he considered it a day well spent.

There was a knock on his bedroom door, and a female voice spoke from the other side, "Hitori, are you in there?"

The voice belonged to his mum, a fact which was confirmed a few seconds later when she peered her head around the door. Hitori didn't rise, but he turned his head to look.

"Mind if I come in?" his mum asked.

Now Hitori did sit up, swinging his legs out over the side of the bed. A brief spell of dizziness passed through him as he moved, making him realise just how long he'd been laying there daydreaming.

His mother sat down beside him. Hitori gave her a sideways glance, trying to weigh up her expression. His mum rarely set foot in his room, unless there was something serious she needed to talk to him about.

Hitori groaned and rolled his eyes, "This isn't going to be one of those awkward conversations, is it?"

His mum gave a soft chuckle, "No, honey. I was just a bit concerned."

Hitori raised an eyebrow, "Why?" he asked cautiously.

"You seemed quiet at dinner. I though maybe something was wrong." He could hear genuine parental concern in her voice.

He shrugged, "Nothing in particular, mom." He said, "I've just been a bit distracted."

He noticed his mum give him _that _look all mothers give when they know their son isn't being entirely open, and it gave Hitori a sinking feeling. He knew that, one way or another, she'd eventually get an answer out of him. She could read him like a book, and she wasn't afraid to let him know it if she thought it was in his best interests.

He sighed, knowing full well where this conversation would take him, "I met someone today..." he trailed off.

His mum seemed surprised, "You met someone?" Her expression turned to suspicion, "You did make it to school today, didn't you?"

Hitori nodded quickly, "Yeah. Actually, I wouldn't have made it there without her."

"Ah, it's a her." She winked at Hitori, making him blush, "So you met a girl on the way to school?"

Hitori considered for a moment, "Well, not exactly a girl…"

His mum considered for a moment, "A woman then?" she seemed to think, "Wait, are you saying you got a lift to school with some woman?"

Hitori sweat-dropped. He was making a real hash of explaining this, and just about anything he would say would only be digging a deeper hole for himself. He couldn't tell his mother that the somebody had been a Digimon. His mum probably didn't even know what a Digimon was, and the thought of Hitori spending the afternoon with a large, bipedal fox would probably not go down too well either.

Boy, did he have some explaining to do…

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Renamon and Rika sat in the gazebo at the bottom of the garden, giving them some privacy from both anyone that could interrupt them and the worsening weather. The clouds, though not visible in the darkness, maintained an oppressive presence in the skies above.

"You spent the day with the boy?" Rika asked, shaking Renamon back to reality. She had explained what she'd been doing all day, and now Rika was asking questions.

Renamon shook her head, "No. I met up with him after he finished in school…"

"And he bought you an ice cream…" Rika clarified.

Renamon nodded.

"Even though you fell on him from a tree…"

Renamon blushed, then nodded again.

She studied her Tamer for a moment, trying to gauge her reaction. Rika kept her face almost professionally blank, except for the corner of her mouth, which was twitching slightly upwards. Renamon was startled when Rika suddenly burst out laughing.

"Talk about an ice breaker, Renamon!" she chuckled, "You fall out of a tree, land on some boy. And then he buys you ice cream on a date in the park!"

"It wasn't a da…" Renamon began to object.

"Oh, come on, Renamon." Rika wiped a tear from her eye, "Why else would he buy you an ice cream and then go walking through the park with you?"

Renamon's brow furrowed as she thought about it for a moment.

"I'd say he fancies you." Rika winked, then started laughing again.

Renamon sat back with a sigh, trying to wrap her mind around the events and the current discussion. She tried to put herself in the boy's place. If a random stranger had fallen out of the sky onto her, she'd have ripped them a new one.

Rika probably had a point.

"The only question now is," Rika said, her chuckles fading away to be replaced by some degree of seriousness, "What are you going to do next?"

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"Woah, woah, woah…" Hitori's mum interrupted, "Back up a moment. So, a girl falls out of a tree and lands on you, then she takes you to school, then you buy her and ice cream?"

An exasperated sigh escaped Hitori's lips. They had been going over this point for quite some time, and his mum still seemed to be having trouble grasping the concept.

"Yes!" he exclaimed.

She pondered for a moment, "Well, dating sure has changed since my day…"

Hitori groaned and rolled his eyes.

"So…" his mum scooched closer, "What's the lucky lady like?"

Hitori eyed her suspiciously. She knew what his question would be before he'd said even a word.

"I'm just curious." She stated, "What's her name? Is she pretty?"

Hitori looked down at his hands and twiddled his thumbs. Pretty probably wasn't the best word to describe Renamon… but she was definitely beautiful.

"She's called Renamo- um, I mean Rena…" Hitori caught himself, -let mum think she's human for the time being…- he added as an afterthought, "And she has a beauty all of her own. She's about as tall as me, has fu… um, hair that's as gold as the sun, and beautiful azure eyes…"

Hitori was starting to daydream again.

"Ah, young love…"

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End of Chapter 5

Thank you to all of you who have reviewed since my last chapter submission. It has been a while since I've had the time to sit down and write, so this has been a long time coming. Hopefully, my updates will be a lot more regular from now on.

As always, please take the time to leave a review. They have helped me and encouraged me a lot.

And please, take the time to read my other stories.

Once more, thank you.

BlueRenamon


	6. Chapter 6

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Hitori ran.

He could not recall why he was running, where he was going or even where he had been. He just knew he had to run.

The scenery around him was strange and unfamiliar, just confirming the fact that he was lost. It was dense jungle, hot and humid. Huge trees towered over him, and the air hung thick amongst the undergrowth This was definitely not home.

The feeling of panic that had dominated his thoughts faded, his frantic pace slowing to a jog and then a walk. His breath came quick and shallow, his heart pounded in his chest.

-Where am I?- he thought to himself, looking around in all directions.

He realised, suddenly, that the only sounds that he could hear were his heavy footed steps and the thud thud thud of his heart against his chest. The thundering pace of his heart gradually slowed with each breath he took until he could hear it no longer.

"This isn't right…" he thought, unsure of what was going on. He knew that the jungle was supposed to be teeming with life. Insects, mammals, reptiles… All should be crying out, loud enough for all to hear. But here, wherever here was, there wasn't even the sound of the breeze on the leaves. Was this jungle entirely dead?

Hitori's eyes widened to the sound of crunching leaves, and he spun on his heels. But there was nothing behind him. Just the endless expanse of empty jungle, as far as his eyes could see.

"Ok, now I'm going crazy…" He closed his eyes and sighed.

When he opened them again, his gaze still in front, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Yaaaahh!" He leapt backwards. There, right in front of him, was Renamon. She looked as if she too had been running through the jungle. Her chest rose and fell with short duration. There was an unusual expression on her face. She seemed displeased, almost angry. And from the looks of things, he was the focal point of her anger.

"Renamon?" He puzzled.

She didn't answer him. She didn't even move. She just continued to stare him down. A very uncomfortable feeling settled on the boy.

"Renamon?" He asked again. He was ready to run.

Again, she didn't speak. But Hitori did notice her shift her weight slightly, almost as if-

Renamon suddenly leapt high into the air. Hitori watched curiously as she crossed her arms. Her entire body seemed to almost glow as she reached the height of her leap. It was then that he noticed the glow seemed to take on dozens of small, pointed shapes…

-I am sorry…- He heard a voice in his head. Renamon…

He saw the expression on her face had changed from seething anger to one of sadness, almost pain. A tear worked its way from the corner of her eye and down through the fur of her cheek. She looked at him one last time, and her eyes closed slowly.

The shards solidified… They came right at him…

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"Hitori!" Renamon shouted, sitting bolt upright in a cold sweat. Her breathing was short and shallow.

It took her a moment to remember where she was – lying on a mattress next to Rika's bed. It was still dark out, and the gentle patter of rain could be heard against the window.

She sighed and let herself fall back down. Had that all just been a dream?

"Renamon?" She heard the soft voice of her Tamer, "Are you ok?"

She looked across to see Rika, an expression of concern on her face. Obviously, she had awoken when Renamon had.

"It was just a bad dream, Rika. Nothing to worry about." Renamon said, trying to reassure herself as much as Rika.

Rika gave her a look which said she wasn't buying it, "You don't just wake up in the night and scream if it's nothing." Rika frowned.

With a sigh, Renamon explained her dream.

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By the morning, the clouds rain of the previous night had moved on, leaving behind the feeling of freshness that accompanies every rain storm. The green plants, as always, had relished the added moisture and looked the better for it.

The skies had cleared beautifully, allowing for a gorgeous sunrise. Now, as the day began in earnest, the sun shone down and warmed the world below. It would be a calm, warm day.

Hitori was making his way to school, as always. But today he had decided to set off early, in the hopes of perhaps bumping into Renamon again. He couldn't explain why, but he was eager to see her once more. The trouble was, he soon realised on his travels, that he had no idea where or even how to find her.

-Think, Hitori… Where could she be?- He pondered as he strolled down a quiet residential street. It would lead onto the tree lines avenue where Renamon had literally fallen from the skies onto him just the day before. He hoped that she would be there.

When he did make it onto the avenue, he noticed that there were several men in hard hats hanging from the tree Renamon had fallen out of. As he got closer – two trees further down - he noticed each one of them wore a high visibility suit with the company logo of a local tree surgeon business on the back.

"Damn…" He muttered to himself, leaning against the trunk and wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Looking for someone?" He heard a calm, gentle voice from above him.

A puzzled look overtook him, and he looked up into the foliage and high branches. There, on a particularly thick limb, sat Renamon. Puzzlement turned to surprise.

"Renamon?"

The golden vixen bowed her head in greeting, "Hitori."

"What are you doing up there?" he enquired.

"I am waiting." She answered, somewhat cryptically, "What are you doing here?"

"Um…" he hesitated, for some reason feeling reluctant to admit to her face that he was looking for her, "You know, heading to school and all…"

-You idiot…- A voice in his head berated him.

Renamon tilted her head slightly, "Is it not a bit early for school?"

Hitori shrugged, "I guess." Then, changing the subject back a notch, "What are you waiting for?"

He was actually quite curious as to why she may be there. He hoped she may have been looking for him, but as far as Hitori knew this could just have been one of Renamon's usual hangouts.

-Why not just let her answer, instead of taking one wild stab in the dark after another?- the little voice spoke up again.

He rolled his eyes, and brought his attention back to the real world.

"I am waiting for my Tamer." Hitori realised she had just spoken.

That had him puzzled, "Your Tamer? What, as in a lion tamer?"

Hitori knew Renamon largely resembled a fox, as it would be if it walked on two legs instead of four, but he hadn't thought of her as wild or vicious enough to need taming.

"No, nothing like that." Renamon gave a slight chuckle, "A Tamer trains a Digimon for battle, and helps them fight."

Hitori was very confused, "So, hang on a moment…" He tried to get his head around what Renamon had just said, "You have one of these 'Tamers', and the pair of you go around looking for fights?"

He hadn't imagined Renamon as a fighter. Now he found out that she had someone who went around with her, and the pair got into fights… Seemed somewhat unusual.

Then an idea blossomed in his head, "Oh, wait… Are you a professional boxer or something?" –That would explain the fighting.- he added as an afterthought.

By this point, Renamon was on the verge of breaking into a fit of laughter. Hitori was missing the point entirely, and it amused her to see him struggle with the idea.

When she felt she was able, Renamon spoke again, a warm smile on her lips, "Have you never played the Digimon card game?"

Hitori realised, quite suddenly, that that was where he had heard the word Digimon before. It was a card game that some of his friends at school had gotten into a few years ago, but he'd never shown an interest in it. He'd assumed it was just another cheap money making scheme from the big toy companies, but Renamon was proof there was definitely more to it than that.

"I know of the card game…" He spoke at last.

"Are you familiar with how it works?"

Hitori shook his head, feeling a bit embarrassed that he was unfamiliar with the concept. Renamon, being a Digimon, would no doubt have been very familiar with it, he assumed. It would only make sense.

Renamon went on to explain how the game was played, with digimon figuratively fighting one another, the holder of the deck acting as a Tamer and using modify cards to enhance their Digimon's chance of winning the fight. As it turned out, Renamon's Tamer did much the same thing in the real world when Renamon would fight other real Digimon.

Hitori got the impression that Renamon and her Tamer were close friends, and had fought lots of battles together. Given Renamon's presence, and her current narrative, they had survived them all, despite the brutality of some of their battles.

"Do you and your Tamer fight often?" Hitori asked when Renamon had finished.

"Whenever a Digimon bioemerges." A female voice spoke from behind Hitori.

He turned to look. A young, redheaded girl, not much different to him in both height and age, was looking at him questioningly. Her cool amethyst eyes seemed to penetrate him with surprising ease, and he couldn't help but feel just slightly intimidated.

Renamon jumped the short distance to the ground, "Hitori, this is my Tamer, Rika."

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End of Chapter 6

Well, it's slow progress, but I am getting there. Between work and University I have precious little time, but I'm determined to get this story done. Still, no end in sight yet.

As always, Read and Review, and take the time to read my other stories.

Thanks for being here.

BlueRenamon


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